After a massive effort of more than five years, LadySparkles has stepped out of the role of PEER Rangers Team Lead. As the new PEER Ranger Team Leader, I'm incredibly glad that LadySparkles has stepped into a new role overseeing site safety, so her accumulated wisdom is not too far away.

Wonka is one of these early Red Earth Rangers, and he supplied this bit of Ranger history:

When we first floated the notion of some kind of psychological response wing of Rangers, we (the Ranger leads) looked to Black Rock (Burning Man) for inspiration. There, they have what are called the "Green Dots" - who are rangers that have taken extra training to be a first response unit to such issues. LadySparkles joined in the discussion, and offered her real-world expertise in actual trauma care. She realised how important this team would be for the paddock and soon took full reign.

Very quickly, it became apparent that what she was building was something far more specialised than even Black Rock had put together. Her insistence on having the crew be qualified practitioners in the real world was something I initially disagreed with, due to skepticism about sufficient numbers of people (and in looking to Black Rock Green Dots as inspiration). I was quickly proven wrong, as she assembled an amazing team which grew significantly over a period of three years.

Her training was incredibly thorough and offered vital methods of dealing with difficult situations. As a result, LadySparkles has built a team unparalleled in the rest of the Burning world in regards to psychological care. We should be so very thankful for the foundations she's built, and work to carry on her creation.

If you don't know who the PEER Rangers are, we're a specialist team of rangers who are Psychological & Emotional Emergency Responders. Outside of responding to emergencies, we develop ways to make Burning Seed a safer space. You might have seen our posters stuck to the inside of portaloo doors in previous years, or grabbed one of our badges depicting consent, safety and looking after one another.

This is what we do - we inform and educate participants of Burning Seed and the wider community. If you think this sounds like a team you'd like to be part of, head over to the Crew Wranglers page & let them know you're interested - we will be in touch!

This also means that we need a new 2iC for the PEER Rangers! This will be someone who has got some experience with psychological & emotional crises, on-paddock or in the default world. The role involves working with me & the rest of the Ranger Council in the months leading up to the burn, which would involve writing policy, designing comms and planning training, amongst other things.

On the paddock they will assist with supporting the rest of the PEER Rangers & overseeing any critical events that occur. And after the event- there's a great sense of achievement & writing up reports on the whole experience. I did it last year & enjoyed it so much I've stepped into LadySparkle's glittery shoes! Here's the Crew Wrangler page where you register your interest.

Thanks again to LadySparkles for the hard work and dedication she has shown over the years. Her work will be a legacy of Burning Seed.